The smile slowly taking residence upon Quinn's face is true. There is no need to fake it, or put it on as some sort of mask to hide her paranoid thoughts. They girls are on to better subjects, and she cannot help but feel that much lighter for it. But then the conversation turns, and the selfless girl finds herself in a true pickle.

"Me? Oh," she let's out a tiny laugh that would sound humble, but really, is all nerves. "It's almost two hours away. Our-" stopping, she smiles. "Shepherd's Creek. My husband and I moved there a bit before we got married. It's really small. No one has ever heard of it."

Lies. Lies. Lies. Quinn cannot comprehend the number of lies she has been telling lately. All of them to protect Gideon. But they are heavy, and she needs to shed some truth as well. "It's a really religious community, honestly. But it's his hometown. We live in his parent's house. They don't live there, but.. it's nice. The people are really into community, and close knit. Like one big family, really."

"He was kind, yes... I don't know him very well. I've only met him twice. But he was very nice to me." Quinn nods, though actively fails to commit to knowing the true Weston Norse. She would do anything for her husband's safety, even if it meant this.

Shifting her weight from one foot to the other, Quinn chews at her lip as Noli continues to chatter. As she brings up teaching, she lights up. Something in common. Though Quinn is not at all an actual teacher, it is the role she has taken up. Despite the trials she faces daily, she really does love it.

"You teach? I do, too. But where I live, the town is so tiny. It's a one room schoolhouse. Not a lot of kids." This is much closer to the truth than what she offered Detective Norse during his stay. "Still keeps me busy, though."

Pressing her lips together, she raises her brows, eager to steer conversation to a lighter subject. "Is Cocodrie very big? I'm not from around here. I don't know much outside of here and my tiny little town."

“Oh...” Quinn frowns slightly, concern engraved into her eyes as Noli tells her of the concerns she had read about Detective Norse. Honestly, she is concerned because she knows them to be untrue. Detective Norse has been kind, and seemed to truly care about the disappearances. Quinn knows where they stem from, and she will never tell.

“I hadn’t read that. I mean, I don’t read the news. Or watch. These things just... you know.”
This is uncomfortable, and also makes her feel at ease. If someone else is suspect, Gideon is safe. It is selfish, but there is not a day that goes by that Quinn is not when it comes to her husband. “Your grandmother sounds really smart. I like her.”

Quinn tries her best to keep her surprise from being seen, but it is difficult for the girl to control her expression. The woman before her starts talking about her sister, but the conversation turns to that of a dead man. She can only assume murder, since there was clearly a disposal. Luckily, these sort of things no longer come as a shock to sweet Quinn Abernathy.

And then, she blames it on a play.

A year ago, she might have believed it. But not now. Her perception of the world has shifted, and her disposition. Still, she does her very best to only see the best in people. Quinn strives to, and usually achieves it, with the exception of a select few.

At the mention of the police department, she perks up a little. Finally, she has useful information. "I met the detective that is working the missing persons cases here... he's really nice. He even spent the night at my place because I heard something outside and was scared. His name is Detective Weston Norse..." she is rattling off the information, as if it is of the utmost importance that Noli know now.

"And Noli, I don't think God is punishing you. I think he is testing you."

Quinn is not nearly as surprised as Noli, though it doesn't escape her that the woman had not been expecting this response. If it had been a year ago, or even before, she might have been saddened at the look on the woman's face. Instead, it fills her with just a touch of dread. Still sad, but definitely fearful.

"I understand," she nods gently. "It's okay. Really."

Taking the paper, she looks it over once more before carefully folding it and placing it into the bag slung over her shoulder. This is surreal for Quinn. She'd always known that people go missing, and she even knows a why, and how, but never before has she been faced with those left behind. "Quinn..." she looks at the woman and gives her a small smile. "And if I will call you, Noli, if I hear anything about Emeline."

As if second nature, she reaches and places a light hand upon the woman's upper arm. A gentle touch with a big sentiment, before withdrawing her hand to the strap of her bag. "I'm sure you'll find her."

She nearly screams. The minute Quinn feels that foreign weight upon her shoulder, her anxiety goes through the roof and beyond. Once upon a time, there was none of this. That was then, and this is now. Now, Quinn knows what it is to constantly look over her shoulder. She knows what it is to be followed, chased, and watched constantly. Even now, she feels those eyes upon her.

The voice that comes with that weight is just as strange, and she would turn to set those chocolate hues upon the girl, confidence and light within them dwindled down to near extinction. Something about her seems almost kindred, and she would let out an inaudible sigh of relief when she realizes this girl is a true stranger.

Then, a question. Brow knit in confusion, she lets her sights settle upon the paper before her. A flyer, like so many in the city, detailing woman not so different from herself, missing. In the back of her mind, Quinn must wonder if this is one of them. All the same, further memories rise up from their ashes and Quinn presses her lips together to give way to the mental pressure.

"I'm sorry... I'm not really from around here. I mean, I don't come to town often." Her gaze lifts, and she shifts her weight from one foot to the other. "She went missing here?"

Noli Joudain just failed at stealing money from you!
Isabeau raised an eyebrow
"Let me express my annoyance at your attempt and presence before me in a manner that is more in tune with your feeble understanding."
She raises her right hand, striking the form before her in one quick motion.
"That is all" Turning on her heel she walks away.